After the first week of victory over Alabamano one expected Florida Coach Mike Norvell will be in the spotlight again in 2025, but three straight ACC losses play into his hands Virginia, Miami And Pittsburgh The pressure is back on Norvell in Tallahassee as frustration continues to mount through several seasons of big ACC battles.
The loss to Pittsburgh dropped Norvell's record in Tallahassee to 36-30 as the Seminoles, now 3-3, have seen extremely high highs and extremely low lows since he took over in 2020. The highlight was the 2024 season when they went undefeated in the regular season and won the ACC Championship, only to be eliminated from the tournament. College football Playoffs with a score of 13-0.
After that season, his second straight season with double-digit wins, Norvell received a new major contract extension that will take him through 2031. Since signing this agreement, Florida State has gone 5-13 overall and 1-10 in the ACC. But if Florida State supporters want change, they'll have to dig deep into their pockets to move on from Norwell.
Pitt stuns No. 25 Florida State as historic decline under Mike Norvell continues with eight straight ACC losses
Cody Nagel
What is Mike Norvell's buyout contract at Florida State?
Norvell's extension added six more years to his original contract and increased his annual salary by more than $10 million per year, putting him on par with the elite coaches in the world. college football. Norvell's buyout represents 85% of the remaining value of his contract, and Norvell is scheduled to earn $72.7 million from 2025 to 2031. This means his buyout before this season was $61.8 million, and his buyout after this season will still be $53.3 million. The buyout can be paid in full or in monthly installments through the 2031 season.
Norvell agreed to restructure his deal after last year's 2-10 debacle, agreeing to a $4.5 million annual salary cut through the 2025 season to help with potential revenue sharing. However, he has the option to repay that money in bonuses over the remainder of his contract—and he'll get the full amount back in a buyout if he's fired after this season—and then a prorated amount of that $4.5 million, decreasing by $750,000 each year until his contract expires in 2031.
Norvell's $50 million-plus buyout makes him one of the top ten most expensive coaches in the country to fire. That means things would have to go from bad to worse for Florida State to consider firing him. But after a 3-0 start catapulted the Seminoles into the top 10 rankings, things quickly went south for Norvell, and he'll need to steady the ship to keep his spot from getting any hotter.
